Editing Theme or Plugin Code Without Breaking Updates

Understanding the Challenge:

Directly editing theme or plugin files can prevent you from receiving future updates. When an update is released, it will overwrite your custom changes.

Recommended Approach: Child Themes and Child Plugins:

To maintain the ability to update your theme or plugin while making custom modifications, create a child theme or child plugin.

Creating a Child Theme:

1. Create a New Folder: In your wp-content/themes directory, create a new folder with a unique name (e.g., my-child-theme).
2. Create a style.css file: In the new folder, create a style.css file with the following basic structure:

/*
Theme Name: My Child Theme
Template: Your-Parent-Theme // Replace 'Your-Parent-Theme' with your parent theme's name
Author: Your Name
Version: 1.0
*/

3. Create a functions.php file: This file is optional but recommended for custom functions and hooks.

Creating a Child Plugin:

1. Create a New Folder: In your wp-content/plugins directory, create a new folder with a unique name (e.g., my-child-plugin).
2. Create a my-child-plugin.php file: This file is the main plugin file.

Making Changes:

• Child Theme: Add your custom CSS, PHP functions, or template overrides to the child theme’s files.
• Child Plugin: Add your custom functions, hooks, or shortcodes to the child plugin’s functions.php file.

Advantages of Using Child Themes and Plugins:

• Preserves Updates: When you update the parent theme or plugin, your custom code remains intact.
• Organization: Separates your custom code from the original theme or plugin.
• Easier Maintenance: Makes it easier to manage and troubleshoot your customizations.

Additional Considerations:

• Backup: Always create a backup of your website before making changes.
• Testing: Thoroughly test your changes to ensure they work as expected.
• Code Quality: Write clean and well-structured code for maintainability.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively customize your WordPress site while preserving the ability to update your themes and plugins.